Interior of the Shing Chai Tong Herbal Medicine Shop established in 1885 in Hong Kong. It was originally located at 180 Queen's Road Central.

Shing Chai Tong was formerly located at 180 Queen's Road Central. It was one of the first Chinese herbal medicine shops in Hong Kong. Before starting his business in Hong Kong in 1885, Mr. Tang Sek-kwan had a sizable herbal medicine shop in Guangzhou. Mr. Tang maintained good relationship with the government officials in Guangzhou and that explains the reason for having five plagues given by the Chinese officials in shop. The furniture and fittings of more than hundred years of age were acquired by the Museum in 1980 when the shop closed for urban redevelopment. Our Museum dismantled the entire shop and had it reconstructed in this gallery according to its original layout.

Running most of the length of the store is a counter made of solid wood, called the "Long Dragon". The head of the counter where money was collected was called the "Precious Dragon Head". Behind this part of the counter sat the chief shopkeeper. The far end is the "Dragon Tail", on which always stood a brass mortar. Every morning a simple ritual known as "Prospering the Dragon" was performed to commence the day. The chief shopkeeper behind the counter head would take up his abacus and shook it to make some sound. This was echoed by the stamping sound of a pestle against the mortar on the far end of the counter, done by his deputy. This ritual was meant to evoke a prosperous business. As for religious beliefs, people working in Chinese medicine shops worship "Yaowang" as the patron god of Chinese Medicine. The birthday festival of "Yaowang" was a time of celebration for everyone in the shops. "Patszikui" (a cabinet of 100 children), which usually has 100 small drawers, is used in a traditional Chinese medicine shop to store various herbal medicine. A serial of drawer from bottom to top, would be pulled out and stepped by the counter staff to reach the medicine kept near the top.